


peace and love on the planet earth

by Bara_no_Uta



Series: Finding Meaning in [E]ternity [10]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Ending E (NieR: Automata)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27357268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bara_no_Uta/pseuds/Bara_no_Uta
Summary: Pod set to work booting up 6O. Once the startup sequence had completed, her eyes opened.The first thing she saw was 2B, which brought a smile to her face – she had never expected to wake up to 2B. But as soon as she processed what she saw around 2B, she could tell something had drastically changed. 6O sat up. “2B? Where am I?” She looked down at her outfit, which was that of a B-type instead of an O-type. A thread of panic made its way through her chest, not liking that she had no idea what was going on.“You’re on Earth,” she said, hoping that if she stayed calm, it would help 6O calm down as well. She had had faith in the process, but even so, she was immensely relieved to see 6O awake and well.6O looked around, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. She had a number of questions, and still felt deeply uneasy about what might have prompted her to be on Earth in a B-type body, but she couldn’t deny hoping that this was a chance for her to explore Earth as she had often wished to.“We’ll explain everything soon, but it makes more sense to explain it once to both of you,” 2B told her, nodding at 21O, who the Pods were working on waking.
Relationships: 2B & 6O (NieR: Automata), 2B & A2 (NieR: Automata), 6O & A2 (NieR: Automata), 9S & 21O (NieR: Automata)
Series: Finding Meaning in [E]ternity [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892593
Kudos: 17





	peace and love on the planet earth

The two former Operators lay side by side. 2B, 9S, and A2 sat nearby, with A2 hovering a bit further. She knew this would be an emotional reunion for 2B, 9S, and the Operators, and she felt a little out of place. She hadn’t even planned on being here when they woke up, but 2B had specifically invited her to be part of it, and she couldn’t quite bring herself to turn her down.

She knew a little of 6O, from what she had seen in 2B’s memories, but the two had never met. And 21O… whether it was for better or for worse that 21O wouldn’t remember A2 killing her, she wasn’t sure. At any rate, their most recent backup was before they became infected, which meant they would have to process being on Earth with no mission and the rest of YoRHa being gone. It would be a lot to take in all at once, but it wasn’t like there was any way to break the news gradually. As soon as they opened their eyes, it would be immediately apparent that they were no longer on the Bunker, and it was only inevitable that they would want to know why.

Still, neither 2B nor 9S had any doubts that the two of them would want to be alive if given another opportunity, so A2 could only hope that they would ultimately be glad for this.

Pod set to work booting up 6O. Once the startup sequence had completed, her eyes opened.

The first thing she saw was 2B, which brought a smile to her face – she had never expected to wake up to 2B. But as soon as she processed what she saw around 2B, she could tell something had drastically changed. 6O sat up. “2B? Where am I?” She looked down at her outfit, which was that of a B-type instead of an O-type. A thread of panic made its way through her chest, not liking that she had no idea what was going on.

“You’re on Earth,” she said, hoping that if she stayed calm, it would help 6O calm down as well. She had had faith in the process, but even so, she was immensely relieved to see 6O awake and well.

6O looked around, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. She had a number of questions, and still felt deeply uneasy about what might have prompted her to be on Earth in a B-type body, but she couldn’t deny hoping that this was a chance for her to explore Earth as she had often wished to.

“We’ll explain everything soon, but it makes more sense to explain it once to both of you,” 2B told her, nodding at 21O, who the Pods were working on waking.

It was only then that 6O even noticed 21O beside her… or, well, she assumed it was actually 21O despite her outfit, because she couldn’t think of any reason for 21B to be here. That only added to her confusion, but she trusted 2B, and that kept her fairly calm.

It wasn’t long until 21O woke up. She looked around herself in confusion, her gaze falling upon each of the androids around her in turn, then looking at their environment. Eventually, it settled on 9S. “An explanation would be nice,” she said as she sat up.

He smiled sheepishly, trying to keep his emotions in check. After having to fight her and then witnessing her brutal death at the hands of A2 – albeit, it was a mercy killing – seeing her safe like this was almost overwhelming.

“What I’m about to tell you may come as a shock,” 2B warned. “The Bunker network was infiltrated by machines. You both died as a result, but we were able to upload data that hadn’t been corrupted yet into these bodies. The Machine War is over, and… YoRHa is gone.”

Though Operators weren’t placed directly in danger, and as such didn’t habitually need to put their data in new bodies the way that field units did, they had watched it happen to their units enough times that the concept was familiar. Hearing that they died wasn’t particularly troublesome, though 21O wondered just how much time had passed between her most recent backup and her death.

“What about everyone else?” 6O asked, fear making its way into her voice. “Commander? Is she okay?”

2B’s shoulders slumped, and 9S stepped in, knowing how hard it had been for 2B to leave her behind. “Commander was synched to the server too. Everyone else… is gone.”

“Can—Can she be brought back like we were?”

Pod 042 answered, “Negative: Deletion of YoRHa backup data from moon server has been confirmed. Due to download in progress, data for units 6O and 21O was not erased. However, all other unit backup data has been deleted.”

“Commander…”

When 6O started to cry, 2B moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. Now that she didn’t have to keep everyone at arms’ length, she could at least be a better friend to her.

21O had a number of questions and decided to start with the most pressing. “What about the Bunker?”

“It exploded.” 9S could still remember the heat of the explosion chasing them as they descended to Earth, and the misery that had soon followed.

“I see.” The last thing she could remember, they were gearing up for an all-out attack, and she had requested a transfer to B-type so she could protect 9S more effectively. She wasn’t sure now if that request had been approved or not, or what else might have happened that she lacked memory data of, but she decided that some questions may be better left unanswered. “I’m glad that you’re safe.”

He beamed. For all that he had grumbled at her at times, he really did appreciate 21O. “I’m glad that you’re safe, too.”

She smiled, allowing herself to simply appreciate that statement for a few seconds before continuing with her questions. “It appears you’ve joined forces with Attacker Number 2?”

“A2,” 2B said firmly, wanting to be sensitive to the memories that hearing ‘Number 2’ could bring up for her. “A2 is our ally now.”

How they had gone from trying to kill her to being her ally was a mystery in itself. “How long has it been since the Bunker was destroyed?”

9S did some math in his head. 2B had been killed shortly after that, and her Pod had said it had been 72 days since she was killed by A2. He added that to the number of days that had passed since then. “It’s been about 7 months.”

It made sense that alliances could have shifted over such a long period, then. To beings who could live for tens of thousands of years, 7 months was quite short, but it still was plenty of time for opinions to shift about one another, especially when thrust into a new and unexpected situation. “Have you joined the Resistance? Or what have you been doing?”

9S shook his head. “We’re finding our own way forward. Mostly, we’ve been finding things we like to do. I’ve been investigating different flora and fauna in more detail now that I have the time.”

“Where have you been staying?”

“An abandoned building. Technically we had our room in the Resistance camp, but that didn’t feel right when we were deciding not to join the Resistance.”

Technically the correct course of action for androids who had lost their leaders was typically to join the Resistance, but because she honestly didn’t want him to have to fight anymore, she couldn’t bring herself to scold him for that.

If the war had still been going on, they might have joined to help their cause. But with humanity extinct and the war over, there didn’t seem much point in doing so.

“You’re welcome to stay with 9S and I, or we can help you find your own places,” 2B offered.

6O sniffled and wiped at her cheeks. “Actually, I have a request. I want to be able to help you… but not as a B-type. 9S, can you replace the B-type chips with H-type?”

That surprised him, but at the same time, he couldn’t deny that it fit 6O’s personality more than being a B-type. “Sure. I’ll see if I can find some in the access points.”

“I’ll come with you. I’d like to take a look around Earth,” 21O said.

“Okay.” He stood, and with her following, headed to the nearest access point.

6O smiled brightly at 2B. “Now I’ll be able to heal you if you need it!”

She already had 9S, Devola, and Popola for when she needed maintenance, but right now she was just glad to see 6O’s smile again. She was sure this all must be coming as a shock, so if 6O was already getting ideas about what new meaning she could find, the last thing 2B wanted to do was discourage her. “Yeah.”

Finally, 6O took in A2. She had been aware of A2’s presence, but with so many other things on her mind right now, she hadn’t really processed it. “A2, right? It’s nice to meet you.”

Being greeted so warmly surprised her, especially since she would have expected 2B’s Operator to treat her with suspicion. Or maybe 6O didn’t remember the times she’d had to kill 2B, either? “…It’s nice to meet you too.” Now very aware that she was the only one standing, A2 sat down, coming a bit closer now that she had been invited into the conversation.

“It looks like a lot has changed since the last thing I remember, but 2B, you look happier.” That observation filled her with happiness, because honestly, that’s all she had ever wished for 2B.

2B smiled back at her, unconsciously glancing at A2. “I am happier. We’re free, now.”

“Once 21O and I are all settled in, will you show me some flowers?”

That was 6O alright. 2B’s smile was fond. She had missed her, but talking to her like this made it feel almost as though no time had passed at all since the last time they had spoken… except that now they were free to do as they pleased. “Of course.”

She looked between 2B and A2. The way they looked at each other had been so warm and familiar that 6O could only assume the two had become quite close. If A2 was a friend of 2B’s, then 6O wanted to get to know her too. “Would you like to come with us?”

The question caught A2 by surprise. She actually looked behind herself for a moment, wondering if 9S had returned with 21O and she hadn’t heard them approaching. But no, the one 6O was looking at was definitely her. Wouldn’t she be intruding? She was pretty sure 6O and 2B had been something like friends, so she imagined that they would probably want some time to catch up… “Would that really be okay?”

“Of course! I’d love to get to know you.”

That friendly smile reminded her of Number 4, and her chest clenched. But… she wanted to get to know 6O, too, since she knew 6O was important to 2B. “Then… yes, I would like that.”

2B felt something warm seem to glow in her chest. It made her happy for two of the three most important people in her life to get along – and she knew that 9S and A2 would fully smooth things out with time. They were kind to one other; they just also didn’t seem to know how to approach one another socially.

9S and 21O returned with the chips. He asked, “Do you want me to put them in now?”

“Sure.”

She went into sleep mode, and he swapped the chips before rebooting her. It was a fairly simple process that YoRHa were made to be able to do.

When 6O was rebooted, she smiled. Nothing felt terribly different, but she could feel different types of data in her system. As someone who had never been in so much as simulated combat, she felt more comfortable to have technical know-how of healing in her personal data than information about ways to hold a sword or take a life. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He grinned at her, then looked around at the rest of the group. “Should we give 21O and 6O a tour?”

While there were no territory boundaries in the way that the Bunker had its walls, there was a specific area that they had mostly kept to outside of when they went exploring for one reason or another. And showing them things like where everyone was staying, the Resistance camp, the river where they cleaned themselves, and the spring where they got fresh water would help them. 2B nodded, standing up so they could show the two former Operators around.


End file.
